Arizona: Arms Over Safety. Third State To Allow Concealed Weapons Without Permit

By eliminating the permit requirement, the Arizona legislation will allow people 21 or older to forego background checks and classes that are now required.

Supporters say the bill promotes constitutional rights and allows people to protect themselves from criminals, while critics worry it will lead to more shootings as people with less training have fewer restrictions on carrying weapons.

Some police officials are concerned the law will lead to more accidental gun discharges from people untrained in firearm safety, or that shooters in stressful situations will accidentally strike innocent bystanders with stray bullets.

The Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police isn’t that thrilled with the idea, because at least with a permit requirement, police encountering someone without one would have reason to suspect the person is not law-abiding.

Arizona’s permissive gun laws gained national attention last year when a man openly carried a semiautomatic rifle to a Phoenix protest outside a speech by President Barack Obama.

Nearly all adults can already carry a weapon openly in Arizona, and supporters of looser laws argue that gun owners shouldn’t face additional restrictions just because they want to hide the weapon.